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The acclaimed Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now has been a saga in more ways than one, plagued by a change of lead ac­tors from Harvey Keitel to Mar­tin Sheen, a typhoon in the Phil­ippines and Sheen’s heart attack during filming, critical and skeptical press, and multiple edits. But this month for its 40th anniversary director … Continue reading “‘Apocalypse Now’ 40 Years Later”

Lionsgate has set a June 12 digital and DVD release date for An Ordinary Man, currently available only on demand. The film stars Oscar winner Ben Kingsley as a notorious war criminal and former general, on the run from international authorities, who is suddenly oved to a new hideout. There, he develops a relationship with … Continue reading “Lionsgate Sets Home Release Date for ‘An Ordinary Man’”

Roku April 16 announced the availability of The Walt Disney Co.’s new $4.99 monthly ($49.99 annual) over-the-top video service, ESPN+, via a new ESPN channel on the Roku platform. ESPN+ is the first-ever multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from Disney’s upstart “direct-to-consumer and international group,” in partnership with ESPN. The service offers subscribers access to … Continue reading “ESPN+ Streaming Service Available on Roku Platform”

Netflix April 16 said it added record 7.4 million new subscribers in the first quarter (ended March 31) – topping Wall Street estimates of 6.5 million. The service added 5.4 million subs internationally, compared to 1.96 million (1.45 million forecast) in the United States. International operations now account for 50% of revenue and 55% of … Continue reading “Netflix Crushes Q1 New Subscriber Estimates”

Netflix quietly turned 21 years old on April 14, and co-founder/CEO Reed Hastings was on a stage in Vancouver, BC, discussing lessons learned from the recent data breach scandal at Facebook. During a Q&A on the last day of the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference, Hastings, who has been on Facebook’s board of directors since … Continue reading “Netflix Turns 21, Co-Founder Reed Hastings Talks Facebook”

“Roseanne” is once again a success on TV — and capitalizing on that reboot is a company flying quietly under the radar with digital rights to the classic Roseanne Barr series and others from television production stalwart Carsey-Werner. That company is FilmRise, which, along with CEO Danny Fisher and his partners, has risen from the … Continue reading “Indie Company Rises With New Vision”

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is bringing Black Lightning: The Complete First Season to Blu-ray and DVD June 26 (order date May 22). The Blu-ray will also include digital copies for all 13 episodes. Based on the DC Comics character, “Black Lightning” stars Cress Williams as the superhero gifted with the power to control electricity, who … Continue reading “First Season of ‘Black Lightning’ Coming to Disc June 26”

Movie ticket subscription service April 13 announced a new promotion affording new subscribers three-months access to music streaming service iHeartRadio. Notable to the $29.95 promotion is the fact subscribers are limited to four movies per month over the 90-day period. This differs significantly from the traditional $9.95 MoviePass service enabling subscribers access to one theatrical … Continue reading “MoviePass Restricts Theater Attendance in New Promotion”

Comcast and Netflix April 13 announced an expansion of their partnership that gives the cabler the ability to include a Netflix subscription in new and existing Xfinity packages. In 2016, after years of resistance, Comcast offered Xfinity subs direct-access to Netflix. The SVOP behemoth has quickly become one of the most popular voice searches and … Continue reading “Comcast, Netflix Expand Partnership”